Archive for November 2012

People have been wondering what the stock market will do since they first began trading under the buttonwood tree in lower Manhattan.

I read an article – one of a zillion such articles that always get multiple opinions from people who invariably prove they never had a clue to begin with – yesterday by Gil Weinreich, writing for AdvisorOne, You can find a link to it on the IFG Facebook page; and this from the article caught my eye:

“The most recent Chicago Booth/Kellogg School Financial Trust Index indicates that 47% of the public expects the stock market to plunge in the next 12 weeks, according to Wharton professor Olivia Mitchell. Mitchell’s own portfolio has outperformed the stock market since 1999, when she put all her investments in Treasury inflation-protected securities. Her difficulty today, however, is figuring out what to do now that TIPS are paying negative returns.”

The professor put ALL her investments in TIPS. Translation: She was ‘timing the market’. Not the stock market, but the bond market. And, she’s got lucky. But, there was a price. Those who ride high on one side are often in danger of getting ‘whipsawed’ on the other.

The market giveth and the market taketh away.

The professor isn’t alone. Many intelligent people – the same people who would never build a home without a blueprint, or launch a business without a well thought-out business plan – often make investment decisions and asset allocations based on an outlook, which means it’s virtually always without a long-term written investment plan. It’s important to note there is NO professionally-written plan on earth, for a home, business, or investments, that would use only one material, or concentrate all risk into one sector.

Risk concentration isn’t a strategy. It’s a guess. It’s a hope. Yet, too many Americans do it all the time. It’s called ‘chasing returns’.

It doesn’t work.

It’s never worked.

Some point to past successes, similar to the example above; but, those always end-up being short-term. When you calculate the returns over time – and one might argue the professor’s track record since ’99 isn’t exactly short-term – it’s also true that returns are now negative and her investment life isn’t over yet – and won’t be for many years to come.

Anyone who’s attended a large gathering of financial types knows the room is always filled with better-than-average investors; yet, few – although the number may be closer to ‘none’ – can even beat the indexes consistently.

It’s not about being brilliant; it’s about being smart. Being smart really all about knowing what you don’t know… it’s about managing risk, not money… you just do it with money…. And market risk is only one of them.

Jim

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Jim Lorenzen is a Certified Financial Planner® and An Accredited Investment Fiduciary® in his 21st year of private practice as Founding Principal of The Independent Financial Group, a fee-only registered investment advisor with clients located in New York, Florida, and California.

IFG does not sell products, earn commissions, or accept any third-party compensation or incentives of any description. Opinions expressed are those of the author. IFG does not provide legal or tax advice and nothing contained herein should be construed as securities or investment advice, nor an opinion regarding the appropriateness of any investment to the individual reader. The general information provided should not be acted upon without obtaining specific legal, tax, and investment advice from an appropriate licensed professional. The Independent Financial Group does not sell financial products or securities and nothing contained herein is an offer or recommendation to purchase any security or the services of any person or organization.

Risk questionnaires have played a major role in retirement and investment planning for as long as I can remember; and I’ve used them no less religiously than any other advisor. Frankly, I’ve always felt they were a little stupid.

Elmer Duckhunter walks into Brainy Smartsuit’s office at Behemoth Securities. It’s a beautiful place, full of mahogany with lots of beautiful brochures in the lobby. Brainy has been successful at Behemoth, gaining promotion to Sr. Vice President after selling more Secure Your Future product than anyone else in the office using the “Secret in a Box” software supplied by the product wholesaler.

“How can I help you?”, Brainy asks.

“Well,” says Elmer, “I have a lot of money from all those Tractor Pulls I won and I think it’s time I began investing for my future. What should I invest in?”

“I think I can help you, but first I have to know more about you!”

“Makes sense. What do you want to know?”

Brainy pulls out the Behemoth Risk Assessment questionnaire. “First, I’d like to know a little about how you feel about investing.”

“Okay.” Elmer settles in. “How many questions are there?”

Brainy smiles, “Just six.”

“Six? You can learn everything you need to know about me with just six questions?”

“Trust me. This is very scientific, “says Brainy.

“Okay.”

Brainy begins. “On a scale of zero to 10, how much risk do you feel you can handle?”

“I don’t know. What would a ‘five’ feel like?”, asks Elmer.

“Just pick one that you feel comfortable with, says Brainy. “The people who prepare these know what they’re doing.”

Elmer thinks for a second. “Well, back in 2007 I was a 9, but after the crash I was a 2. Now, I don’t know what I am. That’s why I’m here!”

“Well, I can’t tell you how much risk to take until you tell me how much risk you want; then, I can tell you what you told me and we’ll have the answer!”

“Huh?”

They both look at each other, then Elmer continues, “How much risk do I want? Seems to me you should be telling me how much risk I need or don’t need!”

“But what if it’s more than you want?”, asks Brainy.

“I don’t know how much I want. I need to know how much I should or should not have?

Brainy perks up. “Now we’re getting somewhere. What are your goals?”

“Simple”, says Elmer, “to retire with as much money as possible with as little risk as necessary.”

“How much is that?”

“How should I know? You tell me.”

Brainy senses a lack of forward progress. “Let’s come back to that. Try this one: If your portfolio went down, what would you do?”

“I’d probably ask you for advice! Isn’t that your job?” Elmer’s beginning to wonder if Brainy Smartsuit is so smart after all. “Why are you asking me all this. I just want to know what I should be doing!”

Brainy comes clean. “We have regulatory compliance concerns. We have to make sure what we recommend is consistent with how you feel about investing.”

“I’d rather have advice that’s consistent with what I need,” says Elmer. Are you protecting me or your firm?

“Well, actually, both…”

“There are six of these?” Elmer’s fed up. He puts on his duck hunter cap with earflaps, and stomps out of the office.

Maybe these questionnaires can shed some light about attitudes; but, they don’t tell Elmer what he needs to know. Elmer just wants to know what he should be doing and why.

Once he understands what and why, the rest gets easier. Fear can exist only where there’s a knowledge vacuum. When knowledge replaces ignorance, fear dissipates and understanding prevails.

Maybe questionnaires have zero to do with long term success for the client; but, they maybe do help sell more Secure Your Future product.

Jim Lorenzen is a Certified Financial Planner® and An Accredited Investment Fiduciary® in his 21st year of private practice as Founding Principal of The Independent Financial Group, a fee-only registered investment advisor with clients located in New York, Florida, and California. IFG provides investment and fiduciary consulting and wealth management services for individual investors. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and fictitious names were created solely for their entertainment value and are not meant to represent any person or organization living or dead. IFG does not sell products, earn commissions, or accept any third-party compensation or incentives of any description. IFG also does not provide tax or legal advice. The reader should seek competent counsel to address those issues. Content contained herein represents the author’s opinion and should not be regarded as investment advice which is provided only to IFG clients upon completion of a written plan. The Independent Financial You can reach Jim at 805.265.5416 or through the IFG website, www.indfin.com